Blade for railway-switches.



' M. GRIMALDI.

BLADE FOR RAILWAY SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED APB.. 5, 1912. 1,088,567. v Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

MTNESSES ATTO EN EVS COLUMBIA PLANGGRAPH co..WAsH|NnToN. n4 c.

MARIO GRIMALDI, OE ROME, ITALY.

BLADE FOR RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

`Speeiication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Application led April 5, 1912. Serial No. 688,608.

To all wlw/mJ t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARIO GRIMALDI, a subject oi the King of Italy, mechanician, and a resident of Rome, in the Kingdom oi Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blades for Railway- Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and complete speciiication.

rlhe invention refers to a blade for railway switches and consists substantially in that the heel of the blade is revoluble around a pivot which is carried by a support movable upon a slide plate.

In the drawing Figure l shows the plan view of a switch permanently set on the branch line. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a switch, in which the blade is set on the straight line. Figs. 3 and fl are vertical sections on enlarged scale according to the lines A*B and C-D of Fig. l.

The main line is represented by the rail H1 and the branch line by the rail -2-. ll he point AL. of the blade 3 by means of the pivot 19- is linked to the joint -5, to which by means of a screw bolt --6- is fastened the compression spring -7- (Fig. l) or the tension spring -8- (Fig. 2). B- this bolt 6u (Fig. 3) is regulated the tension Ot the spring. The ends of the tension spring -8*- (Fig. 2) or of the compression spring 7- (Fig. l) by means of the eyes eQ3--- are connected to the rear wall -26-- of the housingl 10W and to the plate -22- OI' the screw bolt --G-. The joint oi' the blade slides upon the slide plate 9% which forms also the bottom of the casing --lO--, inside which is located the spring acting upon the said point. On the top the casing is closed by a detachable cover M11- rlhe heel lf2 of the blade 3 is beveled at --2-'1- and by means of a pivot w-20- hinged to a support -`13- which by the screw bolt -15- is connected to a compres sion spring 14M (Fig. A). The support LLi with the pivot of the blade slides upon the slide plate -9- of the casing 17- provided with a detachable cover M-l8-. Adjacent to the switch blade is a supporting beam 2l- VIhe working' of the switch is the following: If a carv ruiming on the main track in the direction of the arrow H-25- (Fig. l) has reached the heel of the blade, it penetrates with the edge of the wheels in the notch 24k between the rail l and heel l2 of the blade, and pushes the blade back by overcoming' the resistance oi the spring 14. In this movement the blade 3 turns around its point as a center. The car by keeping on running, causes the blade to move backward, when it is in the position shown in Fig. l, thus compelling the said blade to turn around its heel as a center. It', however, the car is moving in a direction opposite that indicated by the arrow-or in other words is moving to the right according' to Fig. l, and the point of the blade is standing away from the rail l, as indicated in Fig. 2, the car wheels engage with the heel of the blade and move the latter away from the rail l. As soon, however, as the car has passed the switch, the blade resumes its normal position.

My purpose in making the blade movable at the end provided with the heel is to enable the blade to be made shorter and consequently cheaper than would be the case if the blade turned upon a iixed pivot. In other words, by aid ot' my invention, a comparatively short blade can be employed for the reason that, being movable at the heel so as to turn out abruptly yet safely for the rollingl stock, the necessity otherwise present for making the blade lengthy is effectively avoided.

Claims:

l. A railway switch comprising a main rail, a pivot for revolubly supporting' the heel of the blade, a support for said pivot mounted to slide perpendicularly to the direction in which the rail extends, a movable casing for guiding the said support of said pivot, and a spring for pushing the heel of said blade against said main rail.

2. A switch of the class described coinprising a main rail, a branch rail, a deviating blade, and means for allowing said blade to swing alternately upon the heel and upon the point.

3.' In a switch of the class described, a slide plate, a blade loosely positioned on said slide plate, means arranged near each end ot' the blade for resiliently holding the blade in a predetermined position, and means arranged at the heel of said blade for pivotally connecting the blade to the means for holding the blade resiliently in a predetermined position.

4. In a switch of the class described, the combination with a rail, of a slide plate ar ranged on one side thereof, a blade loosely mounted on said slide plate, means arranged ture in the presence of two subscribing witnear each end of said blade for resiliently nesses, in the oity of Rome this 21st day of 10 pressing sailcl1 blade algainstl said rail, and March 1912. means Inova e at rior t ano' es to the direction oIl said rail fr pivtotally mounting MARIO GRMALD' the heel of said blade, whereby the heel of Witnesses: said blade may move away from said rail. DURTEMO LABSCEETTA, In testimony whereof I affix my signa- LETTERIO LABSCEET'BA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Fatents, Washington, D. C. 

